By Randy Kanipe
G.K. Chesterton once said, “It isn’t that they can’t see the solution; it’s that they can’t see the problem.” In the October 5, Advocate the Rev. Stephens wrote about the problem of clergy incompetence. Certainly, ineffectiveness of our spiritual leaders is a serious problem. But incompetent clergy being ‘cycled through’ the system via the ‘guaranteed appointment’ is a minor issue. The larger issue is the rapidly increasing exodus of very “competent,” talented and gifted clergy. Pastors are leaving the ministry at rates never before seen. And they are being driven away by the very people who claim to be followers of Jesus Christ.
Competence is a highly subjective standard. And a witch-hunt, which is what an effort such as Stephens suggests could well turn into, is the last thing we need. When losing good clergy at a rate faster than we can replace them, we do not need to provide yet another avenue for local clergy killers to do their damage. A Duke University study found 85% of seminary graduates entering pulpit ministry leave within their first five years. And 90% of pastors currently serving churches are not expected to remain long enough to reach retirement! Why? Abusive and relentless congregational conflict aimed at the pastor.
The North Georgia clergy attrition rate runs as high as 90% for those having served 20 years or more – and so far is 70% for my own ordination class of 1994. The overwhelming majority of these pastors left not because they were incompetent or guilty of chargeable offenses, but because of the relentless abuse aimed at them in one appointment after another. They left simply to preserve what was left of their families, their sanity, their health and their faith. Statistics for female clergy are even more disturbing. They leave the ministry at rates twice as high as their male counterparts for the exact same reasons. Because of their gender, they are often maligned even more maliciously than male clergy.
The problem became so pervasive that in 2006, clergy serving the United Church of Canada joined the Auto Workers Union, to form a “Clergy Union.” They were so disgusted and fed up with the constant abuse, character assassination, and slander aimed at them – they felt they had no other choice than to unionize simply protect their ability to do ministry. “Incompetent” clergy could never have pulled off something as controversial as forming a union with all the theological, spiritual and ethical concerns such a move naturally engenders.
Watch the movie Forsaken to be released nationwide in November. The movie, a social documentary about clergy killers in the church is produced by CTLNYC Media Productions (an investigative documentary film company), highlights the actions of destructive people and groups driven by the spirit of evil. It illustrates what these people are doing to our clergy, our churches and most importantly, our collective Christian witness. The movie will also be on PBS with Bill Moyers.
And/or read Pastors in Transition: Why Clergy leave local church ministry, by Dean Hodge and Jacqueline Wenger; and Clergy Killers, by Dr. Lloyd Rediger.I personally know nearly forty friends, colleagues and mentors who have literally been shot at, physically assaulted, their families abused, driven to nervous breakdowns, spiritually abused, falsely accused, traumatized, harassed, stalked, and/or sued. Not because of their incompetence, but ironically because the work they were doing was very effective. Effective clergy are a threat to those who want to maintain the status quo.Some clergy do not do their jobs, which is inexcusable. They give all of us a black eye. But they are a distinct minority and it hardly requires a witch-hunt to ferret them out. The far greater problem is those laity who have become clergy killers; coupled with loving but silent, ‘uninvolved’ witnesses to the work of the clergy killers in their midst.
My concern is the spirit of Rev. Stephens’ article has unintentionally thrown gasoline on an already volatile situation for many competent clergy. I fear the effect of his proposal will be to empower clergy killers. He is simply uninformed as to how desperate people, hell bent on the removal of their pastor, will grasp at anything that will bolster their cause. If callously and carelessly filing charges of ‘incompetence’ on their pastor will get them what they want, then Stephens has inadvertently helped their cause. We do have a crisis in the church, but it is not incompetence on the part of clergy. The body of Christ is literally tearing itself apart over issues of ‘who will choose’ and ‘what will be chosen’ with very competent and talented clergy in the crosshairs of this fruitless debate. May God have mercy on our souls.
Rev. Randy Kanipe is the pastor of Salem UMC, Covington Ga. And the director of the Association for Stressed and Battered Clergy .
Monday, October 29, 2007
Guest Columnist: Christians and the Dalai Lama
By Jan Love
As dean of the Candler School of Theology, I welcome the visit of the Dalai Lama to Emory. Some Christians may question the propriety of a Methodist-related institution extending a prominent forum to the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhists. I have actively sought encounters with the faithful of other religions and repeatedly discovered in such experiences the wide wonders of God’s good creation as well as new dimensions of my own Christian convictions.Nineteenth century Hindu mystic and guru, Sri Ramakrishna said, “Religion is like a cow. It kicks but it gives milk, too.” Noble acts of love and self-sacrifice are often anchored in deeply held religious worldviews. Unfortunately, so are some of the worst examples of human behavior. Historian R. Scott Appleby calls this the “ambivalence of the sacred.” All religions to varying degrees face a crucial dilemma. Does the witness of their followers demonstrate the power of the “milk,” or alternatively, the potency of the “kick?”
We live in a deeply religious nation where Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus and others share the same neighborhoods, schools, hospitals, supermarkets, and university campuses. Across America, very different faith traditions increasingly bump into each other in small towns and big cities alike. How can we ensure that our inevitable encounters will enrich our communities, not destroy them? Universities have a critical role to play. Through its campus-wide emphasis on Religion and the Human Spirit, Emory cultivates a religiously diverse faculty and student body and fosters a culture of inquiry about religions and their relationship to science, health, the arts, and social interaction. Those of us who center our lives in a particular faith tradition have rich opportunities to nurture and practice our beliefs with integrity. We do so, however, in a context that promotes understanding and engagement across religious differences. Emory is neither indifferent to nor embarrassed by religion. Rather, this institution recognizes its significance and seeks to ensure its positive contribution to society. Helping diverse faith traditions cooperate rather than collide has become an urgent need in this country and across the world, but very few universities allocate significant talent, money, and facilities to pursue this high calling.
The upcoming installation of the Dalai Lama as Presidential Distinguished Professor is the latest in a series of Emory’s commitments to build bridges across religions and disciplines. Faculty and staff here have collaborated with the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives to develop and implement science education curriculum as a vital element of Tibetan schooling. Other faculty demonstrated an unequivocal correlation between the practice of compassion meditation and the reduction of depression levels in students and paved the way for the formation of Emory’s Collaborative for Contemplative Studies. These and other benefits of comprehending various religious traditions and their impact can be bountiful for the academy, the community and the world.
The Dalai Lama stands among a remarkable group of leaders who inspire not only the faithful of their own tradition but those outside it, too. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989 and shares this honor with Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King, Jr., Elie Weisel, and Shirin Ebadi. Deeply committed to drawing on the strengths of Tibetan and western civilization, the Dalai Lama will offer his unique contributions to Emory’s mission of teaching, research, and community engagement. His vision of education stresses the importance of cultivating both heart and mind.
Such a vision accords with the Wesleyan heritage of Emory University, founded in memory of Methodist minister John Emory and his commitment to “mold both character and intellect.” As one who seeks to educate faithful and creative leaders who preach the gospel of Jesus Christ in a 21st century multi-religious world, I am grateful for the presence of Dalai Lama on campus. He embodies, as he has done throughout his life, calm in the face of crisis, patient endurance in the midst of agony, determination in meeting daunting challenges, and bold hope in circumstances of seeming doom. With humor and intelligence, he reminds us of the graceful gift of human possibility. For this I give thanks to God.
Dr. Jan Love is Dean of the Candler School of Theology at Emory University.
As dean of the Candler School of Theology, I welcome the visit of the Dalai Lama to Emory. Some Christians may question the propriety of a Methodist-related institution extending a prominent forum to the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhists. I have actively sought encounters with the faithful of other religions and repeatedly discovered in such experiences the wide wonders of God’s good creation as well as new dimensions of my own Christian convictions.Nineteenth century Hindu mystic and guru, Sri Ramakrishna said, “Religion is like a cow. It kicks but it gives milk, too.” Noble acts of love and self-sacrifice are often anchored in deeply held religious worldviews. Unfortunately, so are some of the worst examples of human behavior. Historian R. Scott Appleby calls this the “ambivalence of the sacred.” All religions to varying degrees face a crucial dilemma. Does the witness of their followers demonstrate the power of the “milk,” or alternatively, the potency of the “kick?”
We live in a deeply religious nation where Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus and others share the same neighborhoods, schools, hospitals, supermarkets, and university campuses. Across America, very different faith traditions increasingly bump into each other in small towns and big cities alike. How can we ensure that our inevitable encounters will enrich our communities, not destroy them? Universities have a critical role to play. Through its campus-wide emphasis on Religion and the Human Spirit, Emory cultivates a religiously diverse faculty and student body and fosters a culture of inquiry about religions and their relationship to science, health, the arts, and social interaction. Those of us who center our lives in a particular faith tradition have rich opportunities to nurture and practice our beliefs with integrity. We do so, however, in a context that promotes understanding and engagement across religious differences. Emory is neither indifferent to nor embarrassed by religion. Rather, this institution recognizes its significance and seeks to ensure its positive contribution to society. Helping diverse faith traditions cooperate rather than collide has become an urgent need in this country and across the world, but very few universities allocate significant talent, money, and facilities to pursue this high calling.
The upcoming installation of the Dalai Lama as Presidential Distinguished Professor is the latest in a series of Emory’s commitments to build bridges across religions and disciplines. Faculty and staff here have collaborated with the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives to develop and implement science education curriculum as a vital element of Tibetan schooling. Other faculty demonstrated an unequivocal correlation between the practice of compassion meditation and the reduction of depression levels in students and paved the way for the formation of Emory’s Collaborative for Contemplative Studies. These and other benefits of comprehending various religious traditions and their impact can be bountiful for the academy, the community and the world.
The Dalai Lama stands among a remarkable group of leaders who inspire not only the faithful of their own tradition but those outside it, too. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989 and shares this honor with Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King, Jr., Elie Weisel, and Shirin Ebadi. Deeply committed to drawing on the strengths of Tibetan and western civilization, the Dalai Lama will offer his unique contributions to Emory’s mission of teaching, research, and community engagement. His vision of education stresses the importance of cultivating both heart and mind.
Such a vision accords with the Wesleyan heritage of Emory University, founded in memory of Methodist minister John Emory and his commitment to “mold both character and intellect.” As one who seeks to educate faithful and creative leaders who preach the gospel of Jesus Christ in a 21st century multi-religious world, I am grateful for the presence of Dalai Lama on campus. He embodies, as he has done throughout his life, calm in the face of crisis, patient endurance in the midst of agony, determination in meeting daunting challenges, and bold hope in circumstances of seeming doom. With humor and intelligence, he reminds us of the graceful gift of human possibility. For this I give thanks to God.
Dr. Jan Love is Dean of the Candler School of Theology at Emory University.
From the Editor: Why I love Christianity
By Jim Nelson
The Dalai Lama gave a presentation on “Buddhist Teaching” during his visit to Emory University last month. As I sat and listened to him talk about the Four Noble Truths and the ultimate nature of the mind being pure light complete with the absence of pain and sorrow, I thought about why I am a Christian.I have always tried to be respectful of other people’s beliefs. We are all free, or at least should be free, to believe whatever we choose about the nature of God and our relationship with God and with others. I have the obligation to witness to my faith, but if someone else chooses to follow a different path, then I need to “knock the dust from my feet” and move on.
I even sometimes disagree with how some Christians witness to their faith, but I always try to understand them. I realize they are sincere and just trying to be faithful to how they understand the Word of God. Maybe some of us are right, maybe all of us are right, maybe none of us are right. We just have to be true to what we believe God is calling us to be.But back to Buddhism. I can understand the attraction of a religion that promises joy and happiness, and a path to eliminating pain and sorrow from our lives. However, as I listened to the Dalai Lama explain the levels of suffering and how we attain a different state of reality, I had the impression it is something we do alone or at least alone with God.It seems to me that most of the pain and suffering we have in life is caused by others. To be in the world, to love, to be vulnerable, means we will at some point be hurt or feel betrayed. We do not resolve that pain by retreating from the world and the need for others, but by turning it over to God and by forgiveness.
Whereas Buddhism seemed to be somewhat egocentric, Christianity is a communal religion. The basic definition of communion is that it is an act of sharing with others.The purpose of a local church is to be in community with one another. The primary reason people give for joining a particular congregation is the people. The congregation functions as a large dysfunctional family. And I mean that in a positive sense. All congregations have the equivalent of that weird uncle, the crazy cousin, and that older aunt who sips a little too much sherry on occasion. But, what they mainly have is a deep, abiding love for one another.
They argue with one another, yell at one another, get frustrated with one another. But when it really matters, when one of them is hurting the entire congregation gathers around and supports them. That is what makes a church a church. That is what separates us from the other religions in the world. There is a lot we can learn from other faiths. We can learn the importance of daily prayer from Muslims. We can learn about meditation and living simply from Buddhists. We can learn something from all faiths. But we can teach them a lot about community. We Christians are all of the family of Jesus Christ. We “bear one another’s burdens.” We “rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.” When you are in church this week, look around you and hear the words of Jesus, “Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.” (Mt 12:49-50)
The Dalai Lama gave a presentation on “Buddhist Teaching” during his visit to Emory University last month. As I sat and listened to him talk about the Four Noble Truths and the ultimate nature of the mind being pure light complete with the absence of pain and sorrow, I thought about why I am a Christian.I have always tried to be respectful of other people’s beliefs. We are all free, or at least should be free, to believe whatever we choose about the nature of God and our relationship with God and with others. I have the obligation to witness to my faith, but if someone else chooses to follow a different path, then I need to “knock the dust from my feet” and move on.
I even sometimes disagree with how some Christians witness to their faith, but I always try to understand them. I realize they are sincere and just trying to be faithful to how they understand the Word of God. Maybe some of us are right, maybe all of us are right, maybe none of us are right. We just have to be true to what we believe God is calling us to be.But back to Buddhism. I can understand the attraction of a religion that promises joy and happiness, and a path to eliminating pain and sorrow from our lives. However, as I listened to the Dalai Lama explain the levels of suffering and how we attain a different state of reality, I had the impression it is something we do alone or at least alone with God.It seems to me that most of the pain and suffering we have in life is caused by others. To be in the world, to love, to be vulnerable, means we will at some point be hurt or feel betrayed. We do not resolve that pain by retreating from the world and the need for others, but by turning it over to God and by forgiveness.
Whereas Buddhism seemed to be somewhat egocentric, Christianity is a communal religion. The basic definition of communion is that it is an act of sharing with others.The purpose of a local church is to be in community with one another. The primary reason people give for joining a particular congregation is the people. The congregation functions as a large dysfunctional family. And I mean that in a positive sense. All congregations have the equivalent of that weird uncle, the crazy cousin, and that older aunt who sips a little too much sherry on occasion. But, what they mainly have is a deep, abiding love for one another.
They argue with one another, yell at one another, get frustrated with one another. But when it really matters, when one of them is hurting the entire congregation gathers around and supports them. That is what makes a church a church. That is what separates us from the other religions in the world. There is a lot we can learn from other faiths. We can learn the importance of daily prayer from Muslims. We can learn about meditation and living simply from Buddhists. We can learn something from all faiths. But we can teach them a lot about community. We Christians are all of the family of Jesus Christ. We “bear one another’s burdens.” We “rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.” When you are in church this week, look around you and hear the words of Jesus, “Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.” (Mt 12:49-50)
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Guest Columnist: One Little, Two Little, Three Little….
Stacey L. Hanson
Counting heads? Have you ever wondered how many dollars are spent by United Methodists to count heads? In my church a dozen staff members and volunteers each spend a little more than an hour every Monday consolidating data from attendance pads, Sunday school rosters, UMY sign in sheets, and Bible study rolls. That info is then entered into our database which is maintained by one full time staff member. Towards the end of the year (right about now) the database is cajoled into spitting out various numbers for charge conference reports and end of the year reports which are printed and published locally and elsewhere.
If the dollar value of the costs for collecting, recording, reporting, and publishing weekly headcount information could be accurately estimated, I suspect we would be surprised. I was when I did so for my local church (12K+ annually). But the dollars spent shouldn’t be the biggest surprise to us. Relative to the cost, it’s the little value that all that head counting adds to our mission that should. That’s not to say that accountability and measuring successes are valueless exercises. They are in fact the first principles for moving a church from being good to being great as Jim Collins notes in his book “Good to Great and the Social Sectors: A Monograph to Accompany Good to Great.”
But it is to say, or rather to ask, “What does head counting truly measure?” Is it effectiveness, popularity, commitment, discipleship? Possibly, but more data would be needed to prove these. Absent that further data, headcounts simply measure participation: that is “showing up”. And I don’t suspect that merely showing up (even more and more showing up) will move a church from good to great. I think we need to measure something else all together – progress. Measuring an individual’s progress through stages of discipleship would, in my opinion, provide us a much better indicator of our success at making disciples. Our head counting would then tell us how many of our people have entered into stage one, how many have left stage one for stage two, stage two for three and so on. This of course would force us to come up with a common definition of discipleship, a common process for making disciples, and name common stages of progress in that process. But don’t worry, we’ve done it before. Remember the subtle shift in Luke’s language calling the twelve “disciples” prior to their commission (The Gospel According to Luke) and “apostles” thereafter (Acts of the Apostles). He was marking their progress in the process.
Remember that the hallmark doctrine of early Methodism was Entire Sanctification (Christian Perfection) which expected a believer to progress in personal and social holiness throughout a lifetime by cooperating with God’s grace and employing various “methods.” Progress in a process was the standard. Of course such a focused effort to re-defining our present standards would amount to a new model of local church discipleship. I’ll save that one for a future column. But for now, the above examples can both encourage us to consider the hard work of defining and naming stages in discipleship as well as suggest to us how we might do so. And, until we do all the money spent on head counting will count for very little.
The Rev. Stacey L. Hanson is the Associate Minister: GROW at the Roswell UMC.
Counting heads? Have you ever wondered how many dollars are spent by United Methodists to count heads? In my church a dozen staff members and volunteers each spend a little more than an hour every Monday consolidating data from attendance pads, Sunday school rosters, UMY sign in sheets, and Bible study rolls. That info is then entered into our database which is maintained by one full time staff member. Towards the end of the year (right about now) the database is cajoled into spitting out various numbers for charge conference reports and end of the year reports which are printed and published locally and elsewhere.
If the dollar value of the costs for collecting, recording, reporting, and publishing weekly headcount information could be accurately estimated, I suspect we would be surprised. I was when I did so for my local church (12K+ annually). But the dollars spent shouldn’t be the biggest surprise to us. Relative to the cost, it’s the little value that all that head counting adds to our mission that should. That’s not to say that accountability and measuring successes are valueless exercises. They are in fact the first principles for moving a church from being good to being great as Jim Collins notes in his book “Good to Great and the Social Sectors: A Monograph to Accompany Good to Great.”
But it is to say, or rather to ask, “What does head counting truly measure?” Is it effectiveness, popularity, commitment, discipleship? Possibly, but more data would be needed to prove these. Absent that further data, headcounts simply measure participation: that is “showing up”. And I don’t suspect that merely showing up (even more and more showing up) will move a church from good to great. I think we need to measure something else all together – progress. Measuring an individual’s progress through stages of discipleship would, in my opinion, provide us a much better indicator of our success at making disciples. Our head counting would then tell us how many of our people have entered into stage one, how many have left stage one for stage two, stage two for three and so on. This of course would force us to come up with a common definition of discipleship, a common process for making disciples, and name common stages of progress in that process. But don’t worry, we’ve done it before. Remember the subtle shift in Luke’s language calling the twelve “disciples” prior to their commission (The Gospel According to Luke) and “apostles” thereafter (Acts of the Apostles). He was marking their progress in the process.
Remember that the hallmark doctrine of early Methodism was Entire Sanctification (Christian Perfection) which expected a believer to progress in personal and social holiness throughout a lifetime by cooperating with God’s grace and employing various “methods.” Progress in a process was the standard. Of course such a focused effort to re-defining our present standards would amount to a new model of local church discipleship. I’ll save that one for a future column. But for now, the above examples can both encourage us to consider the hard work of defining and naming stages in discipleship as well as suggest to us how we might do so. And, until we do all the money spent on head counting will count for very little.
The Rev. Stacey L. Hanson is the Associate Minister: GROW at the Roswell UMC.
Aging Well: Elder Care
Robert Beckum
With medical science constantly extending life expectancy, baby boomers will be facing the important challenge of caring for elderly parents on a larger scale than any generation before them. The Family Caregiver Alliance estimates 22.5 million people are currently involved in elder care-giving in the United States alone. These numbers will more than double to some 50 million by 2020. There are few roles in life more rewarding or more stressful than caring for elderly parents.
Who are these caregivers?65% of elder caregivers are women.The average caregiver is 49 years old, married, and works outside of the home earning an annual income of $35,000.On average, these women spend a total of 12 years out of the workforce raising children and caring for an older relative.33% of these women decreased their work hours to care for an older loved one, 29% passed up a job or promotion because of elder care-giving demands, 16% had to quit their jobs and 13% retired early because of care-giving responsibilities.Most alarmingly, women who provide care for elderly loved ones are six times more likely than the general population to suffer symptoms of depression, anxiety and debilitating physical illness resulting from their care-giving activities.
While there are many personal and relational rewards in caring for our elders, care-giving is an extremely stressful and, from a health perspective, dangerous undertaking. Learning to care for oneself while caring for others will be the biggest challenge facing many baby boomers in the next twenty years. Ted Conover, writing for the New York Times Magazine, states the issue clearly: “The American dilemma, in the twenty-first century, is what to do about the hidden costs of longevity—-not just the economic ones, but the intimate, personal costs as well.”The truth of the matter is we need to be much more intentional about support systems and resources for elder caregivers in our culture. It is obvious family caregivers will play an expanding and increasingly important role in the care of senior adults for at least the next two generations.
One of the best resources I’ve found is a book entitled, Fourteen Friends’ Guide to Elder Caring (Broadway Books). Of course, I do not think reading a book will provide instant solutions to all the complicated challenges of elder care-giving. But this is not “just a book.” It is the sharing of personal journeys by elder caregivers that is both informative and inspiring. Fourteen women, friends since high school, share their struggles, joys and what they have learned as each cares for their elderly parents. It is written as an invitation to a fifteenth person, the reader, to join them on this care-giving journey. If you are in the role of caregiver for an elderly loved one, I can’t urge you strongly enough to buy a copy and share the journey with them. I believe it will be the best investment in self care you can make.
Rev. Robert Beckum Vice President of Church Relations and Development Magnolia Manor.
With medical science constantly extending life expectancy, baby boomers will be facing the important challenge of caring for elderly parents on a larger scale than any generation before them. The Family Caregiver Alliance estimates 22.5 million people are currently involved in elder care-giving in the United States alone. These numbers will more than double to some 50 million by 2020. There are few roles in life more rewarding or more stressful than caring for elderly parents.
Who are these caregivers?65% of elder caregivers are women.The average caregiver is 49 years old, married, and works outside of the home earning an annual income of $35,000.On average, these women spend a total of 12 years out of the workforce raising children and caring for an older relative.33% of these women decreased their work hours to care for an older loved one, 29% passed up a job or promotion because of elder care-giving demands, 16% had to quit their jobs and 13% retired early because of care-giving responsibilities.Most alarmingly, women who provide care for elderly loved ones are six times more likely than the general population to suffer symptoms of depression, anxiety and debilitating physical illness resulting from their care-giving activities.
While there are many personal and relational rewards in caring for our elders, care-giving is an extremely stressful and, from a health perspective, dangerous undertaking. Learning to care for oneself while caring for others will be the biggest challenge facing many baby boomers in the next twenty years. Ted Conover, writing for the New York Times Magazine, states the issue clearly: “The American dilemma, in the twenty-first century, is what to do about the hidden costs of longevity—-not just the economic ones, but the intimate, personal costs as well.”The truth of the matter is we need to be much more intentional about support systems and resources for elder caregivers in our culture. It is obvious family caregivers will play an expanding and increasingly important role in the care of senior adults for at least the next two generations.
One of the best resources I’ve found is a book entitled, Fourteen Friends’ Guide to Elder Caring (Broadway Books). Of course, I do not think reading a book will provide instant solutions to all the complicated challenges of elder care-giving. But this is not “just a book.” It is the sharing of personal journeys by elder caregivers that is both informative and inspiring. Fourteen women, friends since high school, share their struggles, joys and what they have learned as each cares for their elderly parents. It is written as an invitation to a fifteenth person, the reader, to join them on this care-giving journey. If you are in the role of caregiver for an elderly loved one, I can’t urge you strongly enough to buy a copy and share the journey with them. I believe it will be the best investment in self care you can make.
Rev. Robert Beckum Vice President of Church Relations and Development Magnolia Manor.
From the Bishop: Humble Place: How you can help
B. Michael Watson
The recent Wesleyan Christian Advocate article about our South Georgia/East Africa Partnership and the Humble United Methodist School in Uganda has caused several readers and churches to ask me to tell them again how they can help with this remarkable opportunity to be in Christian mission to the precious children in East Africa. I am happy to share this information with as many as are interested in joining this effort to make disciples of Jesus Christ as we minister to highly vulnerable children and battle the killer diseases of poverty such as HIV/Aids and malaria.
It is so easy to do a lot of good. By contributing through your local church to one of three South Georgia Conference Advance Special Mission Funds, you can literally make a world of difference in the lives of some of the poorest children in the world. A gift of $1,500.00 will feed, clothe, house, educate and medicate one child for one year. Humble Place, which is what we affectionately call the Humble United Methodist School, Church, Clinic, and related ministries, is currently seeking the funds to provide this kind of total care for over 200 children. Every gift of any amount is a blessing in this holy cause.
There are three funds to which you can give. Each one has a separate Conference Advance Special Mission number. They are: Humble Place Program/Scholarship Fund # 1754, Humble Place Capital Fund # 1764, and the South Georgia/East Africa Partnership Fund # 1696. Each one of these funds is a vital part of this wonderful ministry. We need money for programs and scholarships, money for buildings and upkeep, and money for the support of the partnership between our two conferences which enables us to continue this mission ministry.Surely we have 200 individuals; Sunday School classes; mission committees; other groups of children; youth, or adults; or local churches who would make a commitment to fund at least one child for at least three years. What about you, or your group, or your church?Dear God, let it be.
Bishop Mike Watson serves the South Georgia Conference.
The recent Wesleyan Christian Advocate article about our South Georgia/East Africa Partnership and the Humble United Methodist School in Uganda has caused several readers and churches to ask me to tell them again how they can help with this remarkable opportunity to be in Christian mission to the precious children in East Africa. I am happy to share this information with as many as are interested in joining this effort to make disciples of Jesus Christ as we minister to highly vulnerable children and battle the killer diseases of poverty such as HIV/Aids and malaria.
It is so easy to do a lot of good. By contributing through your local church to one of three South Georgia Conference Advance Special Mission Funds, you can literally make a world of difference in the lives of some of the poorest children in the world. A gift of $1,500.00 will feed, clothe, house, educate and medicate one child for one year. Humble Place, which is what we affectionately call the Humble United Methodist School, Church, Clinic, and related ministries, is currently seeking the funds to provide this kind of total care for over 200 children. Every gift of any amount is a blessing in this holy cause.
There are three funds to which you can give. Each one has a separate Conference Advance Special Mission number. They are: Humble Place Program/Scholarship Fund # 1754, Humble Place Capital Fund # 1764, and the South Georgia/East Africa Partnership Fund # 1696. Each one of these funds is a vital part of this wonderful ministry. We need money for programs and scholarships, money for buildings and upkeep, and money for the support of the partnership between our two conferences which enables us to continue this mission ministry.Surely we have 200 individuals; Sunday School classes; mission committees; other groups of children; youth, or adults; or local churches who would make a commitment to fund at least one child for at least three years. What about you, or your group, or your church?Dear God, let it be.
Bishop Mike Watson serves the South Georgia Conference.
From the Editor: Why the Advocate Matters
By Jim Nelson
“Hope isn’t believing that we can change things; hope is about believing that what we do matters.” Vaclav Havel, President, Czech Republic.As the editor of the Wesleyan Christian Advocate, I have a lot of hope because I know that what we do here matters. We have the privilege of writing the first draft of history. It is not just a cliché; it is the truth. Future generations of historians will view the stories we write as primary source documents. Those historians will cull through our archives in an effort to understand what happened, and to help their readers understand why the church is what it is in their day.
Without knowing what they are, we are preserving the signs and omens that future generations will focus on as the beginnings of the watershed events of their past. What those signs are can only be fully known, and fully appreciated, in hindsight. If we do not write them down, how will our descendents know what happened and why?As journalists, we do not have the proverbial seat at the table. We are not the creators of history. But we are allowed to stand directly behind the table: observing, documenting, and in some cases analyzing what happens. We record history.Often I wonder what those future historians will glean from what we write today. Is the church in a downward cycle of decay, soon to become extinct? Will they be trying to figure out what went wrong? Or, are we perhaps on the cusp of a new beginning, and are the signs we are writing about the beginnings of the next great revival? Which story that seems somewhat innocuous to us now will they see as the defining moment when everything began to change?
We know today that the division of Israel, which ultimately led to its demise began long before Solomon died, before Absalom revolted against his father David, before even David slept with Bathsheba and then had his friend Uriah killed to cover it up. It began in 2Samuel 11:1, “at the time when kings go off to war,” and David stayed home. An innocuous incident that sparked a chain reaction ending in catastrophe for the people of Israel. What are we doing or not doing today that will result in the survival, revival or demise of the church tomorrow?
My hope is that there are among the readers of the Advocate astute individuals who can spot trends, and take action to reverse negative ones and enhance positive ones. We all need to stay informed; to pay attention to what is happening, and to be able to react to a changing environment before it leaves us behind.The Good News is God will help us, but God will not do all the work for us. God gives us talents, but we have to use them. God opens doors, but we must walk through them. The Spirit will put ideas in our heads, but we must implement them.
The other hope I have is that God works through the Advocate, helping you and others to see what is happening, to discern trends, and to have the knowledge necessary to keep the church moving forward along the narrow path, toward the narrow gate.What we do matters. Help us keep the Advocate alive, and serving God. Continue to subscribe and encourage all of your friends and family to do the same. The person you get to subscribe may be the one that spots the trend that helps us all.
“Hope isn’t believing that we can change things; hope is about believing that what we do matters.” Vaclav Havel, President, Czech Republic.As the editor of the Wesleyan Christian Advocate, I have a lot of hope because I know that what we do here matters. We have the privilege of writing the first draft of history. It is not just a cliché; it is the truth. Future generations of historians will view the stories we write as primary source documents. Those historians will cull through our archives in an effort to understand what happened, and to help their readers understand why the church is what it is in their day.
Without knowing what they are, we are preserving the signs and omens that future generations will focus on as the beginnings of the watershed events of their past. What those signs are can only be fully known, and fully appreciated, in hindsight. If we do not write them down, how will our descendents know what happened and why?As journalists, we do not have the proverbial seat at the table. We are not the creators of history. But we are allowed to stand directly behind the table: observing, documenting, and in some cases analyzing what happens. We record history.Often I wonder what those future historians will glean from what we write today. Is the church in a downward cycle of decay, soon to become extinct? Will they be trying to figure out what went wrong? Or, are we perhaps on the cusp of a new beginning, and are the signs we are writing about the beginnings of the next great revival? Which story that seems somewhat innocuous to us now will they see as the defining moment when everything began to change?
We know today that the division of Israel, which ultimately led to its demise began long before Solomon died, before Absalom revolted against his father David, before even David slept with Bathsheba and then had his friend Uriah killed to cover it up. It began in 2Samuel 11:1, “at the time when kings go off to war,” and David stayed home. An innocuous incident that sparked a chain reaction ending in catastrophe for the people of Israel. What are we doing or not doing today that will result in the survival, revival or demise of the church tomorrow?
My hope is that there are among the readers of the Advocate astute individuals who can spot trends, and take action to reverse negative ones and enhance positive ones. We all need to stay informed; to pay attention to what is happening, and to be able to react to a changing environment before it leaves us behind.The Good News is God will help us, but God will not do all the work for us. God gives us talents, but we have to use them. God opens doors, but we must walk through them. The Spirit will put ideas in our heads, but we must implement them.
The other hope I have is that God works through the Advocate, helping you and others to see what is happening, to discern trends, and to have the knowledge necessary to keep the church moving forward along the narrow path, toward the narrow gate.What we do matters. Help us keep the Advocate alive, and serving God. Continue to subscribe and encourage all of your friends and family to do the same. The person you get to subscribe may be the one that spots the trend that helps us all.
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